History Row: After Indian Parliament Mural, Kathmandu Takes On Indian Movies

KATHMANDU, (IANS) – After placing a map of “Greater Nepal” at his office in retaliation to the “Akhand Bharat” mural in the new Indian Parliament building, Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balen Shah on June 15 announced that no Indian movie will be allowed to be exhibited within the capital territory if the movie “Adipurush” does not correct the “mistake” about the birthplace of Sita.

Nepal’s Censor Board also decided to hold back permission for the upcoming film for the same reason.

In “Adipurush”, it is mentioned that “Sita is the daughter of India”, Shah said in a tweet on June 15, adding that until this mistake will not be corrected in India and Nepal, no Indian movie will be allowed to be shown within the Kathmandu metropolitan city limit.

Mayor Shah, on June 8, placed the map of “Greater Nepal” in his chamber to counter the “Akhand Bharat” map placed in India’s new parliament building. Some other local elected representatives followed his example.

The main opposition, CPN-UML has demanded to send a diplomatic note to India to protest the “Akhand” map.

The government should immediately send a diplomatic note to India protesting the Indian mural that has allegedly depicted some places of Nepal in it, Raghuji Pant, a UML lawmaker said in Parliament on June 15.

The new Indian map has incorporated some of the Nepali territories like Lumbini and Kapilvastu, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha. Nepal and India are already facing the boundary row over Kalapani, Lipu Lekh, and Limpiydhura.

At one time, the territory of Nepal spread from Teesta in the east to Sutlej in the west. However, after a war with the British, it lost a large part of its land. After the war, the territories from Mechi to Teesta and from Mahakali to Sutlej were permanently annexed to India. On March 4, 1816, the Sugauli Treaty was signed between Nepal and the East India Company, which reduced the territory of Nepal to Mechi-Mahakali.

The “Greater Nepal” map incorporates east Teesta to west Kangra which is currently part of India.

The announcement made by the Kathmandu Mayor has further intensified the already strained situation.

Shah said that he has given three days to correct the mistake about the birthplace of Sita while writing the slogan of “Mata Sita ko Jay Hos”.

The film censorship board has also objected to the dialogue that stated that “Sita was the daughter of India”.

In a meeting on June 15, it decided not to showcase “Adipurush” until the dialogue about the birthplace of Sita is not changed.

Sita was born in Nepal’s Janakpur and Lord Rama came and married her, as per the Ramayana. With the Mayor’s decision, it is now uncertain whether the film will exhibit in Nepal or not.